04 - Finger Assist

Team Members:

Jerry He, Leonardo Hernandez, Richard Mitchell, Daniel Uribe-Rodriguez

Background:

Hand function plays a central role in enabling everyday tasks such as grasping, holding, and manipulating objects, all of which rely on coordinated motion across multiple finger joints. Neurological injuries—including stroke, spinal cord injury, and peripheral nerve damage—often impair this coordination by reducing finger strength and dexterity, limiting an individual’s independence. Wearable robotic exoskeletons have emerged as a promising solution for restoring partial hand function or supporting rehabilitation. However, designing such devices is challenging because human finger motion is inherently complex: rather than rotating about a single fixed axis, each finger exhibits coupled, multi-joint movement that produces a smooth, curved fingertip trajectory. Replicating this natural motion in a compact mechanical system requires not only an understanding of finger biomechanics but also innovative linkage design strategies that can coordinate joint rotations while maintaining efficient force transmission.

Problem Statement:

The challenge of this project is to design a compact planar mechanism that can replicate the coordinated flexion of the MCP, PIP, and DIP joints to produce a natural fingertip trajectory. Human finger motion involves coupled, task-dependent joint relationships that cannot be achieved with simple serial joints, especially given anatomical variability across users. Therefore, the mechanism must coordinate multi-joint motion, operate within space constraints, and efficiently transmit forces to enable functional grasping.

Final Video:

04 - Finger Assist

Team Members:

Background:

Problem Statement:

Final Video:

Table of Contents: